By Madhava Shyama Sundara Dasa (Padayatra leader)
“We can introduce many such carts around the world.” This was said by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada as he instructed Lokanath Maharaja to organize padayatras.
With the blessings of Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar and Srila Prabhupada a padayatra to focus on tribal regions was inaugurated and prasadam distributed at Nandurbar in Maharashtra on December 24, 2024. The padayatra will operate within a radius of more than 100km, centring on northwest Maharashtra’s tribal villages and those of southeast Gujarat and southwest Madhya Pradesh.
I am Madhava Shyama Sundara Dasa, a Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja disciple from ISKCON Nandurbar where we have been preaching since December 2017. Devotees here are highly inspired by Lokanath Maharaja, the pioneer of all padayatras. Our group has participated in the All India Padayatra, a wonderful experience, and found padayatra to be a very effective way of preaching and reaching out to the villagers.
Srila Prabhupada gave this padayatra service to Lokanath Maharaja, who always felt that more such padayatras should eventuate. It was also the desire of Srila Prabhupada, and we deeply sensed that for pleasing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Maharaja we should start a padayatra here in Nandurbar and spread harinama village to village.
All senior devotees please bless us that we can be successful in our desire to preach and instrumental in fulfilling the prediction of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma, sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma – “In every town and village throughout the world,” said Lord Chaitanya, “the chanting of My holy name will be heard.” (Caitanya-Bhagavat Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
Padayatra ki jai.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai.
